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Momentum builds for Dems to take on campaign finance reform

Momentum is building within the House Democratic Caucus to move aggressively on campaign finance reform next year after candidates promised the issue would be at the center of their agenda if they took back the majority.

Half of the new Democrats elected to Congress have refused to take corporate PAC money, according to the grass-roots organization End Citizens United, which advocates for campaign finance reform.

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Separately, more than 100 Democratic House candidates signed a letter sent last month calling for sweeping reforms, including the disclosure of all political spending. At least 34 of those candidates won their elections, according to End Citizens United, with a few races remaining too close to call.

Members of the party’s leadership also said that campaign finance reform would be at the top of the agenda, a pledge they’ve since doubled down upon.

On Tuesday, 41 candidates were elected to Congress who pledged to make campaign finance reform item number 1 in 2019. Yesterday, @NancyPelosi said one of the top issues will be “to reduce the role of dark special interest money.”

But even if it’s set up to ultimately fail, the House could pass reform as a “symbolic” measure, said Thomas Rudolph, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“Given the emphasis that a group of Democrats have placed on it, I think it's likely that Democrats will make an early effort to enact some additional campaign finance reform, even if it's only for symbolic value as a way of fulfilling campaign pledges to their supporters and donors,” he said.

On the campaign trail, reforming campaign finance laws was a common messaging strategy for Democrats.

End Citizens United was one of the top spenders in House races. The group spent $8 million on House races, according to The Washington Post, and encouraged candidates to refuse money from PACs.

The group also helped organize the letter to Congress penned by 107 House candidates, who wrote that campaign finance reform needed to be “the very first item Congress addresses.”

Democratic Party leadership also emphasized campaign finance reform as a key message ahead of the midterms. In May, the party unveiled its platform for 2018, titled “A Better Deal for Our Democracy.” Among its three pillars was a pledge to “break the stranglehold big money has over our campaign finance system.”

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), who has taken a lead role in pushing campaign finance reform, said in a statement to The Hill that Democrats will introduce a reform package as soon as the new Congress takes office. Sarbanes is among a handful of returning Democrats in the House who have sworn off corporate PAC money, according to End Citizens United.

“On the first day of the new Congress, Democrats will introduce a bold and sweeping democracy reform package that will end the dominance of big money in our politics,” he said.

Democrats say the package, which will extend beyond campaign finance reform, is likely to include two bills on the issue.

One piece of legislation would be Sarbanes’s Government by the People Act, which proposes a small-donor matching system for federal candidates. Under the proposal, donations of up to $150 would be matched by a contribution of public funds at a six-to-one ratio. A donation of one dollar, for example, would trigger a $6 contribution.

But Van Hollen left the door open to a disclosure bill gaining traction in the Senate, saying there is “near universal support” among the public for such legislation.

“I think if the House can pass the Disclose Act, it will create momentum going into the Senate,” he said. “It's just shining a light on the money flowing into politics. I have not found anybody who's against that except Mitch McConnell.”